"racist" thinking dormant in scholarship

These days I am thinking about the implicit language of "racist" thinking dormant in scholarship under the guise of objectivity or unity. When it comes to interpreting "the body of Christ" metaphor 1 Cor 12 or Rom 12, the unity-driven, metaphorical organism reading has been dominant. For almost twenty years, I have challenged this reading. I say to myself: "Are those who insist that Paul's body metaphor is about unity/concord (homonoia) different from the white supremacists? Whose unity? Is the body metaphor an organism or something else? What is Christ to the body/community? Does Paul talk about hierarchical unity? Or does he talk about the status of a union that embraces solidarity and diversity? What is necessary for having such a status?"

From my debut book Christ's Body in Corinth (2008) to my recent book How to Read Paul (2021), I have made every effort to challenge this "unity" reading that is based on the metaphorical organism and homonoia. My alternative reading is ethical in that, for example in 1 Cor 12:27, the Corinthians must embody Christ, individually and communally.

2008

2021

How to translate the pistis Iesou Christou-related texts in Galatians and Romans

  

When the Greek genitive case of pistis Iesou Christou is used in Paul’s letters, we should be careful about whose faith Paul talks about. Technically, the genitive phrase means either “believer’s faith in Jesus Christ” or “the faith of Jesus Christ.” But whose faith does Paul talk about? Please watch this video if you are really interested in Paul's theology of Christ and faith.


Quote from this video:

In Gal 2:16, the issue is by whose faith one is justified. The Greek genitive phrase, "pisteos Iesou Christou" means, technically, either “faith in Jesus Christ” or “the faith of Jesus Christ.” “Faith in Jesus Christ” means a believer’s faith in Jesus, which we call the objective genitive case (Jesus is the object of faith). “Faith of Jesus Christ” means Jesus’s faith, which we call the subjective genitive (Jesus is the subject of faith).


“Faith of Jesus Christ” makes better sense for two reasons: (1) Throughout Galatians and Romans as well, Paul first emphasizes Christ’s work and his faith and then asks believers to participate in Jesus’s faithfulness. Otherwise, if Paul had meant believer’s faith in Jesus Christ, he could have used the prepositional phrase, something like "pisteos en Iesou Christo"; (2) In Paul’s theology, it makes better sense that justification happens through Jesus Christ’s faithfulness, which involves believer’s participation in Christ’s faithfulness.

Jesus as the Locus of Reconciliation: Paul's Theology of Atonement

 

ebook (Kindle)

The radical concept of atonement requires human participation in Jesus’s life and death. Jesus is the locus of reconciliation. His sacrifice is not required for atonement (reconciliation); it is unwanted yet unavoidable because of his testimony to God’s righteousness.

This book explores an alternative understanding of atonement in Paul’s undisputed letters. In doing so, it distinguishes Paul’s theology from later writings such as Deutero-Pauline letters, Pastoral letters, or Hebrews and interprets the cause of Jesus’s death differently. Traditionally, as we saw before, Jesus’s death has been understood as vicarious suffering, which deals with the guilt of sin, God’s punishment, God’s moral justice, or liberation from sin’s power. In an alternative understanding of the atonement, sin’s problem, or the fundamental issue for humanity is disobedience or unfaithfulness to God, which is the cause of estrangement between God and humanity. This problem or issue is resolved when one repents (change of a mind) through participating in Jesus’s faithfulness that ended up his crucifixion—a multifarious, climatic event that reveals God’s righteousness and Jesus’s grace. On one hand, God dealt with the past of humanity, infused with sins of disobedience, because of Jesus’s faithfulness and his sacrifice, and on the other hand, he opened a new path of reconciliation/atonement to those who participate in Jesus’s life and death. Often people think that Paul cares about Jesus’s death only, which is understood as no more than a vicarious sacrifice. Subsequently, they do not consider Jesus’s faithfulness and his obedience to God’s will that all humans need a recovery of faith. They seem to think that Jesus came to die for them. But if we read Paul’s undisputed letters, Paul’s view of Jesus’s death is deep and complex in that Jesus’s crucifixion is the result of his life-risking challenge to the wisdom of the world. What is needed is faithful living. The radical concept of atonement requires human participation in Jesus’s life and death. Jesus is the locus of reconciliation. His sacrifice is not required for atonement (reconciliation); it is unwanted yet unavoidable because of his testimony to God’s righteousness. We need an alternative view of atonement where sins are forgiven not because Jesus died for sinners but because they repent of their sins, looking to his cross and all his faithful journey toward God’s righteousness.

 

Paperback

How to Read Paul (Fortress)

At long last, I received author copies of my new book:
How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World (Fortress, 2021).

This book is ideal for the classroom, pastor study, and advanced adult bible study since it comes with a user-friendly format of 2 introductory chapters (on Paul and his writings) and 7 key themes with questions for reflection (Gospel, Righteousness/Justification, Faithfulness, Freedom, New Life/New Creation, the Body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit). Professors may adopt this book as a text for their teaching or use it for a special seminar on Paul, and pastors may preach Pauline themes in a series of seven sermons. Teachers may use this book for the preparation of their bible study. Learned laity may engage with this book for their deeper understanding of Paul.


Now there is a feature for requesting an exam or review copy of my new book on the publisher's website.


I made a sample syllabus for my new book.  

-Title: "Introduction to Paul's Theology, Writings, and World."
-Aim: To help students to be informed by the critical study of Paul and to help them to engage with Paul’s theology, writings, and world.
-Description: On the one hand, exploring Paul and his letters in his cultural context; on the other hand, examining his key theological concepts such as "gospel," "righteousness," and "faithfulness" in Greco-Roman/Jewish texts and contexts.
-Format: lecture, discussion, and group activities; a total of 10-11 sessions (1 introduction, 2 introductory sessions, 7 themes sessions, and 1 conclusion session).

Don't compare with others

"Your happiness does not depend on someone's unhappiness. Your value does not go up or decrease by comparing with others. Find what you have within yourself, focus on them, and develop them. Don't compare with others. You are you as I am I."

You determine your own happiness

Our happiness does not depend on others or external conditions. Be yourself and find happiness within you. This does not mean you must be separated from others. What I mean is "it is you" who must be the authority of yourself.

Search inside of How to Read Paul

 

Yung Suk Kim's latest work, How to Read Paul, is an important and helpful guide to Paul's practices as theologian, missionary and community organizer. With focused attention on Paul's uncontested letters and the nature of his gospel message, Kim carefully unpacks themes in Paul's letters, such as righteousness, faithfulness, and freedom, through the lens of Paul as a Practical Theologian. Study questions at the end of each chapter make this book a highly useful tool for both introductory and advanced seminary classes on Paul and his letters. I highly recommend it!
-Efrain Agosto, Professor of New Testament Studies, New York Theological Seminary

A wonderful gift from a prolific scholar and experienced teacher. Addressing seven theological concepts in Paul's letters in relation to Greco-Roman and Jewish texts and contexts (such as faithfulness and freedom), this excellent and accessible textbook is an ideal primer for students who want an updated understanding of "the new perspective" on Paul.
-Tat-siong Benny Liew, Professor, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

Deeply informed yet succinct, Yung Suk Kim's How to Read Paul is a robust introduction to the person, legacy, and thinking of the Apostle Paul. It explores the many dimensions of Paul's legacy and work, unpacks the meaning of his message, and offers substantive yet savvy discussion of his most central theological convictions. This book will be of great service to seminarians, ministry leaders, and biblical interpreters who yearn for current conversation about Paul that moves beyond antiquated ideas toward fresher perspectives."
-Troy Troftgruben serves as the John and William Wagner Professor of Biblical Theology and Associate Professor of New Testament at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

In this handy guidebook, Yung Suk Kim writes with passion and clarity about Paul's "God-centered, Christ-exemplified, and Christian-imitated" gospel. A seasoned teacher, Kim expands the theological conversation surrounding Paul's letters while guiding students deftly and thoughtfully through a survey of the Pauline correspondence. This is a welcome textbook or study guide for a small group.   
-Carla Swafford Works, Professor of New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, and author of The Least of These: Paul and the Marginalized (Eerdmans, 2020). 

I teach because of this

Dr. Kim,
I truly enjoyed your class, especially your PPT, Blogs, and video presentations. Your class presentations were thorough and I appreciated that. I purchased a notebook so that I can refer to my notes and your PPT presentations. It was an honor to sit under your teaching. I appreciate your passion for the new testament and because of you, I will never read the NT the same. God's Blessings to you. --from a student taking Intro to the New Testament (2021)

Lex Talionis in Exod 21:22–25: Its Origin and Context

Lex Talionis in Exod 21:22–25: Its Origin and Context

Yung Suk Kim

Was the biblical lex talionis to be applied by equal retribution or in a figurative sense? What was its origin? How or for what purpose was the lex talionis practiced in ancient Israelite life? This article argues that lex talionis in Exod 21:22-25 should be understood figuratively in the ancient village life context and that the development of the lex talionis should be understood as a complex process, depending on the corresponding social, economic structure of the time. Comparative considerations between the lex talionis in Exod 21:22-25 and other relevant ANE texts are advanced.

Marginality

In his book Marginality: The Key to Multicultural Theology (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995), Jung Young Lee states that his marginal experience is the basis for his contextual theology. Furthermore, Lee affirms that marginality is a new source of power (self-affirmation) despite its negative connotations. Lee goes on to argue that Christian theology, the mission of the church, a habit of thinking, personal commitment, and all our hearts and minds must be based on the new marginality of self-affirmation. A new marginal person is one who relentlessly hopes for harmonious justice beyond one's identity, defiantly resisting all abusive systems and evil in the world.

To support his thesis about new marginality, Lee rejects the one-way, classical definition of marginality that emphasizes the negative sides of marginality such as alienation, rejection, struggles, and so forth. This classical definition is the product of "centrality" according to which marginality is a situation of "got stuck" or "in-between." But Lee defines marginality from a marginal perspective, which upholds a "both/and" and "in-beyond" approach. For example, Lee declares that he is both an American and an Asian. The "Both/and" approach is a self-affirmation of both Asian and American.


He also talks about a new marginality person who stands "in-beyond," which means standing beyond "in-between" and "in-both" (Asian and American). That is to say, such an "in-beyond" person transcends the current time and space to form a new identity, which is formulated both in "in-between" and "in-both" worlds. Lee states that this kind of "in-beyond" thinking leads to living up to "the harmony of difference," as God's creation itself is of plurality and differences.


Lee continues to explore marginality to the extent that marginality should be the center of Christian theology. For instance, God becomes marginal through the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Marginality is God's choice of loving humanity. Jesus was also marginal, being rejected and crucified by the people. In other words, Jesus lived "in beyond," affirming the world that rejected him. Likewise, Lee suggests that the church, seminaries, and all our Christian works be a community of marginality that lives up to the love and servanthood of Jesus. The author envisions the whole church and Christian institutions to embrace a holistic "in-beyond" approach.


Lee does an excellent job and he reclaims a Christian theology of marginality. Jesus came not to be served but to serve (Mt. 20:28). As Jesus was a marginal person, so were Christians. Christians' power comes out of serving others. Another strong point is regarding the identity of the minority. Marginal experiences are certainly negative but are not hopeless altogether. Lee suggests that we transform our marginal experiences to form a new identity of hope and love beyond the current conditions of the world. Lee also made a big contribution to the understanding of multicultural society. A pluralistic, multicultural society needs multiple centers and margins. Lee seems to encourage all of us to play an active role in making a better society. He also reminds us of the mystery of creation that reflects the diversity, plurality, and differences in our culture. Everyone has his or her place of margin, because, according to Lee, margins and centers are not fixed; rather, they are dynamic and moving. A multicultural society is a kind of web in which every unit of society has its connection to one another, modifying its place constantly.


Lee's book has had a great impact on my study, as I feel confident about my role as a biblical theologian in a multicultural society. Through my upbringing, education, and experiences in Korea, and elsewhere (including Latin America and the USA) I came to view the world through the lens of critical diversity or imagination. When I lived in a small rural village during my childhood, I liked to play with things in nature and grasped the harmony of differences. Not a single thing is the same as the other in nature: Different colors of leaves, different trees, different flowers, different stars, different birds, and so forth. While we are different from each other, we also share a common humanity. We are still the same human being. In nature, dandelion is different from the rose but it is still a beautiful flower. God made all of us good and beautiful.